I Think That I May Not Have Enough Power for My Layout

[Craig]

To WGL:   I will have to plan where to install the re-railers as well...but I already have a pretty good idea about that.  Yeah, I have to take up some track (and have to re-do some scenery re: the roadbed to install the re-railers, but that's no big deal...a minor hassle, that's all.

When I built my son's EZ Track layout, I didn't use ANY re-railers or any prefab terminal tracks of any kind. You don't have to make any changes to your track work or scenery. Just leave it as-is and drill small holes on either side of the track where you want your feeders, then solder directly to the rails. If you don't mind drilling through the road bed the process is even simpler, and stealthier. Practice a bit ahead of time and use heat sinks when you solder to protect your plastic components.

Relax; you can do it and it won't be as hard as you think.

[Jim Banner]

Are the 2 main bus wire connected at one end to the 5 volt powerpack?

What 5 volt powerpack?  The only connection to the bus wires (other than the tracks) is to your DCC command station.  Connecting to any other power source will likely damage your command station.

Don't be afraid of soldering.  If done properly, a soldered joint out performs any other kind of joint.  And soldered joints are cheap too.  For the price of terminal strips and terminal/rerailers, you can buy a decent soldering iron and some solder.  If you are worried about your soldering skills, consult a soldering primer like the one below and practice, practice, practice.

http://members.shaw.ca/sask.rail/TechNotes/soldering.html

You asked earlier about securing the bus wires under the table.  There are many ways, but screw eyes and cable ties is the way that works best for me.

Jim 

[THB-DAVE]

I have been building layouts for 30 years and I have always used Atlas Code-100 Terminal Joiners. Terminal joiners are rail joiners with wires attached. They are available at any model train shop and are cheap. Just pull off the old joiner, replace with the new one drill 2 small holes and feed the wires through, easy as cake.

Dave

[BradKT]

Jim Banner:

I was just referring to Bachmann's 5 amp booster.  Sorry...wrong terminology.

Yampa Bob:

The drawings are excellent.  I 've got a handle on this now.  Thank you.

[SteamGene]

Brad,
I don't use EZ-Track for my layout,  but I think you can save a lot of money and time by drilling two holes through the roadbed and the subroadbed and then run your feeder wires through the holes, solder them to the OUTSIDE of the rails, and then attach them to the buss.  I agree, soldering is the best method.  I don't insulate the connections, but I separate them by several inches so they can not short.  As noted, having a feeder every four to six feet is a good idea - especially with sectional track as opposed to flex track. 
Also, as noted, make sure you don't confuse the wires.  I'd suggest getting two colors and use one color for one rail and one for the other.  When in doubt, move your finger around on the track to make sure you have the correct rail. 
Gene

[Jim Banner]

Connecting your booster to the middle of your bus wires is a good idea if connecting to one end gives bus wires more than 25 feet long.  If your bus wires are less than 25 feet, then you can connect your booster anywhere along the bus, wherever is convenient.

One more thing, while I agree that keeping your wires sorted out as you install them is a lot easier than trying to find a short circuit later, having a short circuit will NOT damage your command station.  All command stations are designed to deal with short circuits, with the possible exception of some home brew rigs.  Short circuits may corrupt the programming in some decoders, although even that is becoming rarer as improvements are made in decoders.  (I suspect that avoiding program corruption is the reason Bob suggests turning off the command station while rerailing locomotives.  This makes a lot of sense if reprogramming decoders is a problem.)

Jim

[BradKT]

Jim Banner:

The advice that the group gave to me regarding the resolution of this particular issue  (include the hardware referrals)...plus the excellent advice that you gave me regarding wiring the street and building lights on my layout...has really helped me to figure out how to do both projects.  In the process, I even found the fuses for the circuits for the lights.

Thanks again.

[BradKT]

Gentlemen:  I thank you.  I successfully installed the bus lines yesterday and the feeder lines and terminal rerailers were installed today.  It made a world of difference.  A total of 11 terminal rerailers have now been installed...4 on the outside track, 4 on the middle track and 3 on the inner track. 

When I saw that photo that showed how a terminal strip was used to handle the bus and feeder lines, the light bulb went on in my head.  That was all I needed.

NOW I have enough power for my railroad layout.  No more crawling up the incline on the elevated outside track.  When I run 3 trains now (each with double diesel locomotives), all three trains run with more speed and power than when I was only running 1 train before.

Once again, the group has come through.  Thank you.

[Yampa Bob]

Congratulations Brad. I hope the upgrade didn't disturb much of your fabulous layout, it is truly a masterpiece. 

Reminds me of a joke that is often paraphrased:  "Yesturday I cudn't evun spel eleckricion, today I are one." 

Have fun

[BradKT]

I just have to re-do some stuff where the the rerailers are located...very minor and it's all roadbed-related.  I'll probably fix that this weekend.  I am just delighted that the track is now operating like I thought that it should from day 1.